A fair number of citizens in developed countries lack access to clean water. Australia is no different. But as per a recent study, many Australians are willing to pay the government in excess of their water bills to ensure that those lacking access do get clean water, writes Laura McDonald.
Imagine living in one of the most developed countries rich with an abundance of natural resources, yet wondering if the water is safe to drink when you turn on the tap.
This isn't a hypothetical scenario but the reality for hundreds of thousands of Australians in remote communities. While the nation boasts a high standard of living, safe drinking water remains a luxury for far too many.
A recent study by Water Justice Hub (WJH) – an organisation working towards water equity – spells out what it would take to ensure ‘water for all’ in such remote communities. The study, led by researchers from Australian National University, University of Alberta and University of Queensland, exposes a hidden crisis – a significant disparity between the image of Australia and the lived experience of many of its citizens.
Unsafe water: a long-existing problem
The study in Nature Water points out that a long-standing problem exists in Australia: unsafe drinking water in small, rural and remote (SRR) communities.
Lack of safe drinking water isn't a recent development but the consequence of decades of historical disadvantage and a lack of investment in critical infrastructure, and one that isn’t unique to Australia.
Developed countries are lagging in their progress to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.1: ‘By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all’. In the global north, we see the failures and injustice from Flint, Michigan in the US to Curve Lake First Nation in Canada.
An earlier study in npj Clean Water by researchers at WJH paints a concerning picture of the gaps in drinking water quality across regional and remote Australia. In this study, the most comprehensive Australian dataset on national drinking water quality gaps, identified 395 SRR communities in 2018-19 that reportedly had drinking water, which failed to meet the guideline values constituting ‘good quality’ at least once, as defined by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) of the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Paul Wyrwoll, lead author of the study says, what this means is, "water quality monitoring did not meet the health-based and aesthetic guideline values for those parameters that were tested and at the times they were tested." The study didn’t look at the reliability of water services.
Residents in these communities often face the difficult choice between unsafe tap water and exorbitantly priced bottled water, which they don’t have access to most of the time.
The WJH study found from the results of a stated preference survey and multiple model estimates, that Australians are willing to make annual payments (per household) of AUD 324–847 for 10 years, to improve public services including the provision of safe drinking water.
This is important news when considering the societal benefits of improving water services where there are known water quality issues in SRR places where Indigenous Australians are disproportionately affected.
Drinking water quality: from the outback to the coast
The narrative of this disparity often focuses on remote communities. However, the WJH study mentioned earlier sheds light on a broader reality: Australia lags in water monitoring and reporting.
Whilst ADWG provides a national framework of standards to catchment and water resource regulators, drinking water suppliers and health authorities on monitoring and managing drinking water quality, it is a non-mandatory guideline.
The researchers considered health parameters and the ADWG definition of ‘good’ aesthetic characteristics, and found 627,736 people across 408 locations had access to drinking water, but with monitoring and reporting gaps. About 40 percent of them were remote indigenous communities. The gaps, the researchers say, indicate that the actual incidence of non-compliance with the ADWG could be higher.
"Australia’s national water quality statistics do not include service providers with less than 10,000 connections," says Paul Wyrwoll, about their research showing that Australia’s national reporting of drinking water quality is not fit-for-purpose.
"This means approximately two million people, or about eight percent of Australia’s population, are not included in reporting on the ‘clean water for all’ goal of the SDGs, though the 2022 SDG progress report states that 100 percent of Australians have universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water," he says.
Wyrwoll pointed to the fact that national statistics misrepresent the challenges households and water service providers across regional and remote Australia face, and said creating a national drinking water database is urgent after addressing the gaps in reporting.
A groundswell of support
The good news is that there is overwhelming support for change. The Water Justice Hub study surveyed over 3,500 people and found a strong majority of Australians willing to contribute financially, through their taxes, to ensure good drinking water for the SRR communities.
On average, across the whole sample surveyed, city dwellers and rural residents alike expressed a willingness to pay (WTP) hundreds of dollars annually for 10 years to see the delivery of safe drinking water for all. This level of public support translates to a substantial potential national investment, which far exceeds the estimated cost needed to deliver good quality drinking water to affected communities.
"Australian households are willing to pay more than is needed to deliver safe drinking water to every Australian," says co-author Quentin Grafton, professor at ANU and UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance, about Australians’ WTP for a programme to improve drinking water quality.
On the disparity in access to clean water, Grafton further notes, "Hundreds of thousands of Australians in remote communities regularly drink water from their taps that would be unacceptable to residents of Sydney and Melbourne and other centres – despite Australia being ranked among the world’s wealthiest countries."
The study’s finding that Australians are willing to pay for access to safe, clean drinking water sends a powerful message to the country’s federal, state and territorial governments, about the citizens’ solidarity in their desire for a solution, and the pathway forward is as clear as quality water.
Investing in culturally appropriate solutions
The Water Justice Hub study makes evident the importance of Australians’ support and emphasises the need for solutions beyond financial investment. It's time for policymakers to focus on delivering fit-for-purpose solutions to drinking water services that involve genuine partnerships with affected communities.
On the narrative on safe drinking water, Ana Manero of ANU and lead author of the study says, "Poor-quality drinking water is often portrayed as a minority problem, only affecting a few people, but our results flip that narrative around: the vast majority of Australians care deeply about this issue and want it fixed."
"What our study shows is that, when people learn about a problem with drinking water, they understand it is complex and know that more needs to be done to fix it," she adds further.
Culturally appropriate approaches and long-term maintenance plans are essential to ensure the success of these solutions. Existing initiatives in remote indigenous communities, like those in the outer Torres Strait Islands which the study’s authors refer to, highlight the importance of investing in solutions specific to the places and the knowledge of the indigenous people.
Grafton highlights Australia’s statistics on SDG 6.1, "The Australian Government reports that some two percent of the Australian population lack access to safely managed drinking water services."
"Our study should give all Australian governments the confidence to finally deliver sustainable and ‘fit-for-purpose’ improvements in rural and remote communities to achieve good quality drinking water for all Australians," says Grafton.
The Water Justice Hub study serves as a powerful call to water action. With Australians from communities along the coastline to the outback in support of access to safe drinking water each time they turn the tap on, it's time for the government to step up and deliver on their commitment to providing a fundamental human right for all citizens. Investing in safe, clean drinking water and infrastructure isn’t just about public health but also about justice for Australia’s Indigenous people and their stories of connection to water.
By working together, Australians can turn the tide on the disparity. By ensuring clean water for all, Australia can not only bridge a physical gap but also honour the deep connection between water, land and culture.
The front cover of the January 2024 issue of Nature Water journal – where the Water Justice Hub study has been published – shows The Unity of Water, an artwork by Hozaus Claire, a Walmajarri, Gooniyandi, Bunuba and Nyikina man.
Through the painting, Claire tells the story of the interconnectedness of water – the unity – and why it holds cultural significance.
As Claire tells Nature Water: "Every water is connected in many ways... Every water has a story, every story has a meaning.
The ground water has a significant and secret story that keeps the spirit of the water and the land alive. That is why every river is connected. The connection is under the ground on the land and in the air.
In this painting, I show connections of ground water and surface water. It also shows that water holes, creeks, springs, rivers and ocean are connected."
